January 2024 - Issue 18

Kira Zwygart MD, FAAFP

Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Deborah DeWaay MD, FACP

Associate Dean, UME

In this section we share changes made based on your feedback!

Changes in Clinical Evaluations for 3rd and 4th Years

We conducted the first round of our annual curriculum retreats last week, where we delved into various aspects of the upcoming year. A key focus is the revamping of clinical evaluations. Over the next few months, we'll be working on redesigning the clinical evaluations applied in the 3rd and 4th years. This redesign will also extend to how clerkship directors utilize clinical evaluations to determine grades.

Expect updates in April/May detailing the specific changes to be implemented. Your feedback from surveys and liaisons has been invaluable, and we'll also be consulting with your leaders to ensure thoughtful consideration of proposed changes. 

RISE Summer Scholarly Award Experience

The RISE Summer Scholarly Award Experience (SSAE2024) will run from Monday, May 13, through Friday, July 19. Open to MSI Core students only. The call for proposals was Jan 9th. The deadline for submission is Tuesday, March 5. For more information, visit the RISE Canvas course or the RISE website.

REMINDER: If participating in Human Subjects research, the IRB for the project MUST be initiated before the application due date and receive approval by the start of SSAE (5/13/2024). 

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2024–25 FAFSA® Form Launch

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is now available. You can complete the form to apply for financial aid to help pay for attendance at college between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Be sure to submit your application before March 31.

Fourth Year Prep Meeting to review tracks, schedules, 4th year prep, & Step 2 prep - Virtual & Required

• January 31, 2024 on TEAMS from 6-8PM for SELECT students  
• February 1, 2024 on TEAMS from 6-8PM for CORE students  

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Residency Workshop – IN-PERSON  & Required

• March 20, 2024 IN-PERSON in Center for Health Care Excellence from 5:30–8PM for SELECT students 
• April 2, 2024 IN-PERSON at MDD 230 from 6-8 PM for CORE students  

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2024–25 FAFSA® Form Launch

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is now available. You can complete the form to apply for financial aid to help pay for attendance at college between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Be sure to submit your application before March 31, 2024.

 How to Access Drop/Add Under the New Archivum Look:

1.You should see a “Show All” link

2.Clicking that will reveal the option to click on your Student Record. This looks pretty much the same as it used to.

3.You should see “Submit a Drop/Add Request” under “My Actions.” If you click the star next to it, it will move the link up to the top of “My Actions” for easy access. 

MDD Room Etiquette

We've received reports that students using unreserved small group rooms have been asked to leave by others. It's important to clarify that if a room is reserved, the reserving group has the right to ask others to vacate. However, if a room is not reserved, you are not obligated to leave. We encourage everyone to be civil and courteous.

For instance, if you are engaged in quiet study and someone requests to join, consider sharing the space if they agree to also engage in quiet study. We appreciate the MS2 liaisons for bringing these concerns to our attention. As the building occupancy increases, we are actively discussing measures at a higher level to ensure the needs of MD students are addressed.

SELECT Program Sunsetting - More Information

A town hall was held on Jan 11th to address questions regarding the sunsetting of the SELECT program due to the proposed merger between LVHN and Jefferson Health in Pennsylvania. FAQs can be found here, and kandre4a recording of the townhall can be found here.

ALL Core Students - SCP Progress Reports Due March 3rd

A Progress Report for the SCP is due on March 3^rd, 2024. Information from these progress reports is utilized in the Scholarly Concentrations Program Annual Report which is provided to the Senior Leadership at MCOM. Please use the following link to access the survey.

Building Survey

We’re looking for ways to enhance the MDD building! Please share what would make your MDD experience even better for the future!

Class of 2027

2/5 – Course 3 Test 2 Exam

Class of 2026 – Core

          2/2 – Comprehensive Basic Science Exam (CBSE)

Class of 2025 - Core

         1/25 - Obstetrics NBME Exam

         1/26 – Primary Care NBME Exam

         1/26 – Medicine NBME Exam

         1/26 – Pediatrics NBME Exam

ASC Podcast  

Episode 3 of The Real ASC Podcast is now available! You can find this in your ASC Class of canvas page on the Podcast Page. Dr. Ciceron was joined by Amberlyn, a medical student who shared her experience with Rx Scholar and wedding planning while juggling academic responsibilities. Remember, if you are interested or willing to record a podcast episode, contact Dr. Ciceron.  

Did you know? With Dr. O! 

Did you know that on the USMLE, thinking (rather than knowing), often gets you that higher score? As expressed by Steven R. Daugherty, Ph.D. in an online article, “when (students) do not know the answer, (they) must have a process to generate one”. Read more of his tips and insight here. 

Dr. Ciceron’s Service-Learning Reflection 

For more than a decade for USF, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday has been associated with the Stampeed of Service, which helps students get engaged in the Tampa community through meaningful service experiences. I find myself reflecting on the service-learning experiences I have been blessed with. 

Growing up in a family that was full of housing insecurity made it all the more special for me when I had the opportunity to participate in a home build with Habitat for Humanity. I initially didn’t believe I could be that helpful based on my lack of skills with tools and/or paintbrushes, but I was encouraged to proceed despite my doubt. Within an hour I had learned new skills, connected with awesome

volunteers, and got to interact with the family that the house was built for. I witnessed a wall signing ceremony, where the mom and teenage children wrote on the drywall, and it is a moment I will never forget. Watching someone be blessed to change their circumstances for themselves and their children was transformative and humbling. I was so glad to be a part of that, and I even had an opportunity to encourage some of the other volunteers to reconsider enrolling (since I was working in higher education). At the end of the experience, I realized my contribution (that I had minimized in my head) was so much more than me showing up to paint and clean. 

January’s Debt Management Challenge - Ends January 31st - 11:59pm

Log into the Financial Aid Fundamentals & Debt Management Canvas course to participate today. All participants will be entered to win a $500 scholarship to pay directly toward their federal student loans. As a reminder, those who participate in at least 4 challenges will be entered to win a grand prize of $3000 to pay toward federal loan debt. #ReduceYourDebt #DebtManagement #LoanForgiveness

New Ride Share Service in Downtown

Check out this new ride-share program being provided by the Tampa Downtown Partnership!

There will be a Water Street Transportation Hub; rides are “ordered” and paid for ($2/trip) via Dash app. 

https://www.tampasdowntown.com/getting-around/dash/

Tampa Bay Street Medicine Needs Your Help

Tampa Bay Street Medicine is a medical student-run organization associated with the Morsani College of Medicine, providing clinical care, hygiene supplies, and food to homeless people and refugees of our surrounding communities. Every month, TBSM provides hygiene supplies to more than 200 individuals. To help ensure TBSM has the supplies it needs to operate, its student director has created an Amazon Wish List to allow donors to contribute while knowing that donated supplies will reach their intended destination. 

To contribute supplies to Tampa Bay Street Medicine, supporters can purchase from this Amazon Wish List. When donating supplies via this Amazon list, please choose the address destination associated with Emily Heideman.

Show Me DeWaay...



The power of a do-over

When I think of a do-over, it usually involves turning in a project to a superior, getting negative feedback and then being told to do it over. Or in a more positive light, being given an opportunity to do a project again to make it better. I have discovered the power of giving myself a do-over and I encourage you to try it. Sometimes, we need to tweak a system to make it work better. Sometimes we need to start with a fresh slate. This works well for calendars, to-do lists, budgets, project management. Now clearly, you don’t want to do this all the time because you would be wasting time. But if you find yourself spinning in a particular area, it can be helpful to start fresh. 

All past issues can now be found at the bottom of the Helpful Links page (that is on you QR Code cards)!